Ngakan Timur Antara, Head of the Agency for Industrial Research and Development (in Indonesian: Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Industri, or BPPI), said Indonesia occupies the fifth position in terms of the world's largest leather and footwear (shoe) exporters.

Players in Indonesia's footwear industry are concerned about the sharp growth of imports of footwear (shoe) products into Indonesia, by far outpacing growth of footwear exports. Data released by the Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo) show footwear imports into Indonesia rose 17 percent year-on-year (y/y) in 2016, while over the past two years exports of footwear products were recorded in the range of 3 - 4 percent (y/y).

Sales of footwear products (shoes) in Indonesia fell 10 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2017. This bleak performance is attributed to Indonesians' weak (consumer) purchasing power. Meanwhile, domestic footwear manufacturers only saw modestly rising demand from abroad compared to one year ago. Therefore, Indonesia's footwear exports have remained rather stagnant.

Indonesia's exports of footwear to the United States (USA) are expected to reach the value of USD $1.5 billion in 2017, up 12 percent year-on-year (y/y) from USD $1.34 billion last year. This increase is expected to come on the back of US President Donald Trump's eagerness to limit imports from China by introducing higher tariffs. This policy should now open up opportunities for Indonesian footwear exporters.

The government of Indonesia offers a new incentive to entrepreneurs in Indonesia's footwear and textile (and textile products) sectors who employ at least 2,000 workers and export 50 percent of their total sales. Authorities give a 50 percent discount on income tax to those workers that earn a maximum IDR 50 million (approx. USD $3,850) per year. Both Indonesia's footwear and textile sectors have been plagued in recent years by slowing economic growth, the weak rupiah and rising minimum wages.

Between 10 and 15 new footwear factories will become operational in Indonesia this year. The majority of these new plants, which require a combined investment value of USD $1.5 billion, involve foreign investors from China, South Korea, and Taiwan. Harijanto, Advisory Council Head of the Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo), said these factories will have a large production capacity at an average of between 10 - 15 million pairs of shoes per year and are all export-oriented. Moreover, the plants will provide employment opportunities to some 100,000 local workers.

Adis Dimension Footwear, the local Indonesian unit of American multinational footwear and sportswear manufacturer Nike Inc, announced it is preparing a new USD $60 million factory in Majalengka (West Java). This new factory, which will produce the Nike brand shoes for the growing global market, is designed to have a production capacity of 10 million pairs of shoes per year. Harijanto, Chairman of Adis Dimension Footwear, said the plant is a long-term project. While the plant is under construction, human resource training has already started.

Indonesian Industry Minister Saleh Husin inaugurated the new USD $60 million shoe factory of Changshin Reksa Jaya in Garut (West Java) which will produce Nike branded shoes. The shoe factory has an annual production capacity of 15 million pairs and will provide employment to 5,500 people. Reportedly, all of the shoes produced at this plant will be exported to Europe, USA, and other parts of Asia. Minister Husin stated that the new factory is highly appreciated as it will boost the country’s non-oil & gas exports.

Exports of shoes (footwear) from Indonesia could reach USD $8 billion per year in the foreseeable future, from USD $4.5 billion currently. Eddy Widjanarko, Chairman of the Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo), said local footwear factories in Indonesia are currently only operating at a utilization rate of between 50 and 60 percent, implying a significant portion of local production capacity in the shoe industry remains unused. Widjanarko is convinced earnings from Indonesia's shoe exports can double by raising production while still relying on the nation's traditional shoe markets: Europe and the USA.